Vince: Our tutor Bridget Vaughan has written a great article outlining the differences between the SAT and ACT. It can be a borderline decision, so feel free to get in touch with one of our tutors if you have questions about which test might be better for you.
Your older brother and sister both took the SAT...someone somewhere told you the ACT is easier...supposedly, colleges like the SAT better...should you just prepare for both to hedge your bets? These are all-too-common thoughts of students facing what is often the first big choice in their college preparation process. First things first: No, one test is not drastically easier. No, one test is not preferred by all colleges. No, you (probably) shouldn’t prepare for both!
Let’s sort out the truth about these tests, put to rest your concerns, and help you decide the best choice for your learning style.
Despite what you may have heard, the SAT and ACT are more similar now than ever before. A quick history lesson might help clarify the misconceptions and outdated comparisons that often float around online forums like College Confidential. The SAT started in the 1920s, and the ACT followed along in the late 1950s as a Midwestern alternative to the popular SAT. For some years this geographical difference remained; people in the Midwest and Central United States opted for the ACT and those on the coasts overwhelmingly chose the SAT. Over time, as the ACT gained popularity, these geographical preferences have become increasingly negligible. Today, the number of students taking the SAT and ACT each year is not dramatically different.
In Spring of 2016, the ‘New SAT’ was created, and the differences between the test formats dropped significantly. Nonetheless, some notable differences remain. Let’s take a look at a comprehensive comparison:
Total Time
The SAT takes 2 hours and 14 minutes of testing time, plus a 10-minute break between its two sections. The ACT takes 2 hours and 5 minutes for its three required sections. Add 40 minutes for the optional Science section and another 40 for the optional Writing test.
TL;DR
Neither test is as long as it used to be. A three-section ACT (125 minutes) is actually a little shorter than the SAT (134 minutes), while an ACT with Science runs about half an hour longer than the SAT. Stamina still matters either way, and full-length practice tests are what build it.
Time by Section
SAT — two sections, each delivered as two adaptive modules. The second module of each section gets easier or harder depending on how the student did on the first.
Reading and Writing — 64 minutes, 54 questions (two 32-minute modules)
Math — 70 minutes, 44 questions (two 35-minute modules). An approved calculator is allowed throughout, including the Desmos graphing calculator built into the Bluebook testing app.
ACT
English — 35 minutes, 50 questions
Math — 50 minutes, 45 questions
Reading — 40 minutes, 36 questions
Science (optional) — 40 minutes, 40 questions
Writing (optional) — 40 minutes, one essay
The two tests have never given you the same amount of time per question, and that hasn't changed. The SAT asks 98 questions in 134 minutes — about 82 seconds each. A three-section ACT asks 131 questions in 125 minutes — about 57 seconds each. Those are averages, and neither test spreads its time evenly; reading questions eat more of it than grammar questions on both. But the gap is real, and for most students it's the single most practical difference between the two tests. A student who routinely runs out of time, or who wants a few minutes to check answers, is usually more comfortable on the SAT. A student who reads and works quickly may find the ACT's pace no obstacle at all, and may prefer knowing that everyone sitting the test sees the same questions — on the SAT, the adaptive second modules mean two students taking the same test don't.
TL;DR
The ACT is the faster test — roughly 57 seconds per question against the SAT's 82. If pacing is your student's weak point, that difference matters more than anything else on this page.
Scoring
The SAT is scored 400–1600 in total: 200–800 for Reading and Writing, and 200–800 for Math.
The ACT composite is still on the familiar 1–36 scale, but it's now averaged from the three required sections rather than four. The optional Science and Writing sections are reported separately and don't affect the composite.
TL;DR
Different scales, and a concordance table converts between them. The structural difference worth knowing is how much math counts: on the SAT, math is half the composite. On the ACT, it's one of three required sections, so roughly a third. A student who is much stronger in math than in reading gets more out of that strength on the SAT.
Section by Section
Now that we have a handle on the general formats, let’s break down the differences and similarities by section.
Math
Both tests allow a calculator throughout. On the SAT that includes the Desmos graphing calculator built into the Bluebook app, which is genuinely powerful once a student learns to use it — and learning it is worth real points. Students can also bring their own approved calculator. Calculators with a computer algebra system (CAS) are not permitted on the SAT.
The SAT's old calculator/no-calculator split is gone. Anything you read describing one is describing the old paper SAT.
TL;DR
Calculators throughout on both tests. The SAT's built-in Desmos tool is a real advantage for students willing to put time into it.
Reading
The ACT's Reading section uses a small number of long passages, each with a set of questions attached. The SAT's reading questions attach to much shorter passages — often a single short paragraph per question. Students who lose the thread in a long passage, or who dislike flipping back and forth to find an answer, usually find the SAT's format easier to manage. Students who prefer to settle into one text and stay there sometimes prefer the ACT's.
TL;DR
Short passages on the SAT, long ones on the ACT. This is more a matter of temperament than ability.
Grammar
Both tests cover the same ground here: grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and rhetorical choices. The difference is where it lives. The ACT has a dedicated English section. The SAT folds grammar into its combined Reading and Writing section, so grammar and reading questions arrive mixed together rather than in separate blocks.
TL;DR
Same content, different packaging. The ACT gives grammar its own section; the SAT mixes it in with reading.
Science
The ACT has a Science section; the SAT has no science section at all. Under the enhanced ACT, Science is optional — 40 minutes, 40 questions, reported separately from the composite. It rewards reading charts, tables, and experimental setups quickly more than it rewards science knowledge.
Whether your student should take it depends on what the colleges on their list want, which is worth checking directly rather than assuming.
TL;DR
Only the ACT tests science, and it's now optional. Check your target colleges before skipping it.
(Optional) Essay
There is no essay on the general weekend SAT. An "SAT with Essay" still exists for certain state in-school administrations, so if your student is testing through their school, it's worth confirming which version they're sitting.
The ACT's Writing test is optional: 40 minutes, one essay, scored separately from the composite. It gives the student three perspectives on a contemporary issue and asks them to state their own and weigh it against the others.
TL;DR
The SAT essay is effectively gone. The ACT's is optional. Take it only if a college on the list asks for it.
When is the test?
The SAT is offered 7 times a year, in August, October, November, December, March, April, May, and June. As of 2018, the ACT is offered 7 times a year: September, October, December, February, April, June, and July. If you live in New York, the ACT is not available in February and July. If you’re taking the test as a state requirement, it may be administered any time, and won’t be on one of the national test dates.
Registration
Registration for the SAT opens roughly 4 weeks before test day, and late registration (requiring a late fee) closes about 10 days before the test date.
Registration for the ACT opens about 5-6 weeks before test day, and late registration (requiring a late fee) closes about 20 days before the test date.
Fees
Fees change most years, and both tests charge extra for late registration and for changing a test date or test center, so the only reliable numbers are the current ones on the official sites — College Board's SAT registration fees page and ACT's registration page. Both organizations also offer fee waivers for students who qualify, which is worth checking before assuming cost is a barrier.
TL;DR
Check the official sites for current prices. Fee waivers exist.
Extended Time & Accommodations
Both the SAT and ACT offer extended time and/or special testing accommodations, such as computer-based testing. These must be applied to and organized in advance.
On the SAT, 50% extended time requires students to stay on the section given until time is up. On the ACT, 50% extended time is self-paced, letting students move ahead to the next section early or late as long as they finish the test within the total allotted time.
On the SAT, 100% extended time can be split over two days at a maximum. On the ACT, 100% extended time can be split into one section per day at a maximum. In most of these cases, students will take these tests at their regular school rather than a testing site.
College Preference
College preference for either the SAT or ACT is a myth! Both the SAT and ACT are accepted by every four-year US college and university. The colleges and universities you apply to will, however, determine whether you take your test with the essay option, and whether score choice is accepted.
State Requirements
Regardless of what state you live in, you can take whichever test you choose on your own time. However, some states will require that you take one as a part of their general state testing procedures for high schoolers.
States that require the ACT:
- Alabama
- Hawaii
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- South Carolina
- Utah
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
States that require the SAT:
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Illinois
- Maine
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
What to do now
Take a full-length official practice test of each, under real timing, and compare the results with the concordance table. That one afternoon tells you more than any comparison article can, because it measures your student against these two tests rather than against the average student.
If the two scores come out roughly equivalent — which happens often — choose on the pacing question above. If one is clearly stronger, that's your test.
Official ACT-to-SAT concordance tables are maintained jointly by ACT and College Board, and they still apply to digital SAT scores; College Board's own research confirms that digital and paper SAT scores are comparable.